Lest we forget: The missing children of India

More than 2,40,000 children went missing between 2012 and 2017.

In 2016, the Delhi High Court had raised concern over the issue of missing children in the country, equating it with the menace of terrorism. And if the government data is to be believed, the issue is indeed of grave importance.

Information from the Ministry of Women and Child Development show that more than 2,40,000 children went missing between 2012 and 2017. However, the number might be much higher in reality as many such cases often go unreported.

According to The New York Times, the police is also reluctant in fling first information report in such cases. The international media outlet claimed that FIRs were filed in only 40% of the cases between 2012 and 2014.

The report further mentioned that there could be many socio-economic factors behind the menace of missing children. One of the reasons cited is poverty. It says that families living in acute poverty at times fail to report the matter to police if the possible reason behind it is abuse of any manner.

Some families are so poor that they even resort to selling their children as they do not have the means of livelihood to sustain, said the report.

NYT further says that a bad monsoon can also be a factor leading to spike in missing children cases. According to the report, bad monsoon pushes families to starvation, and hence the children are set out to work. It is in this situation that the children often fall prey to trafficking situations.

A recent report by the US, millions of children and women in India are victims of sex trafficking.

FBI MISSING - MYRA LEWIS

#MISSING

MYRA LEWIS

Camden, Mississippi
March 1, 2014

Date(s) of Birth Used: November 30, 2011
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 3'1"
Weight:27 pounds
Sex: Female
Race: Black

Reward:

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information regarding the whereabouts of Myra Lewis.

Remarks:

Myra Lewis was last seen wearing white or khaki pants, a turquoise sweater with a bear on the front, and pink tennis shoes.

Details:

Myra Lewis, age 2, has been missing in Mississippi since March 1, 2014. She was last seen by family members, between 10:30 am and 11 am, playing outside her home in Camden, Mississippi.

Submit a Tip:

If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Field Office: Jackson

Submit an anonymous Tip online

Ripley County Law enforcement officers honored

Referring to one of the accomplishments of Ripley County Sheriff Jeff Cumberworth:

"Jeff started a drone project, which will not only be used for law enforcement purposes, but can also be used to find a missing child because it has heat seeking technology."

Read More

Photo: Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel, (from left) recognized ISP Detective Sgt. Tom Baxter, Ripley County Sheriff Jeff Cumberworth and BPD Chief Stan Holt.

FBI MISSING - AKIA SHAWNTA EGGLESTON

#MISSING

AKIA SHAWNTA EGGLESTON

May 3, 2017
Baltimore City, Maryland

Date(s) of Birth Used: September 6, 1994

Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 100 pounds
Sex: Female
Race: Black

Scars and Marks: Eggleston has a tattoo of cherries on her left shoulder blade.

Reward:

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information regarding the whereabouts of Akia Shawnta Eggleston.

Details:

Akia Shawnta Eggleston was last seen on May 3, 2017, in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore City, Maryland.  She was eight months pregnant when she disappeared and was reported missing on May 7, 2017, when she did not show up for her baby shower. Akia has not been seen or heard from since that time.

Submit a Tip:

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the FBI's Baltimore Field Office at (410) 265-8080, the Baltimore City Police Department at (410) 396-2499, your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Field Office: Baltimore

Submit an anonymous Tip online

California Teen Who Pimped Out Younger Girls Gets 13 years

Marc Benjamin of The Sacramento Bee writes:

An 18-year-old Hanford woman was sentenced to 13 years in prison for her role in the pimping and human trafficking of younger girls.

Hanford police detectives arrested Jelinajane Bedrijo Almario in May 2016. Though a juvenile, she was tried as an adult for human trafficking, sending threatening emails to a family member of at least one of the girls and making terrorist threats.

The following is by Dr. John A. King

Please read the entire article; it is eye-opening.

A case we are involved with, spanning the last 9 months, includes dozens of female recruiters targeting hundreds of others through social media and recruiting parties. We know of one circle of people responsible for the abuse/trafficking of nearly 3000 girls and boys, many of them underage. When this group holds their parties on national holidays, the recruiters go into overdrive needing to supply hundreds of guests with young people to for sex. Not all ‘guests’ need their services as many bring their own ‘party favours’ to share and trade out for the evening. I know these numbers sound outrageous to people many don’t believe they could be true, they are. They have all we received them from the recruiters who are now in protective custody waiting to testify against the individuals involved.

To read the testimonies of the recruiters is horrific. Stories of their own abused laced with guilt-ridden confessions of trafficking others. Accounts of forced group sex and bestiality. Forced pornography and a range of other activities I don’t I feel comfortable writing about in a public document.

People often ask us how they can make a difference:

1) Share this post with your social media contacts.

2)  Support us as we run seminars around the country raising awareness with community groups, first responders and college students. You support is tax deductible.

3) Organise an event with Give Them A Voice Foundation in your area.

4) Attending a viewing or hold a screening of the multi-award winning documentary Stopping Traffic.

Everything counts and everything helps.

Dr John A. King

Study: Most abductions happen when a child is going to or leaving school

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Do your children know what to do if they are approached by someone without a parent around? News Channel 8 looked into where children are the most at risk, and what you should conversations parents and children should be having.

According to a study done by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, attempted abductions happen most often when a child is going to and from school, or school related activities.

St. Pete Police Officer Mark Williams says typically the abductor is not a stranger.

“More often than not, we find it is individuals that are abducted, are abducted by someone they know, so we want to make sure they understand there is a need to be aware of anyone and everyone who comes up to you and offers you something,“ he said.

Officer Williams suggests parents and children have a code word, something anyone picking up your child would know, so the child knows it is safe to go with them. If the person doesn’t know it, the child should get away, fast.

“The child should definitely turn and walk away, and we hope that if children are out they are with a partner or with a buddy. that is the main way we can keep our kids safe.”  said Officer Williams.

By Amanda Ciavarri

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner Introduces the CyberTipline Modernization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner introduced a bill aimed at reforming the CyberTipline Reporting Requirements. The bill will provide much needed updates to better reflect the current operations of the CyberTipline and the process of sending, receiving, and handling the millions of reports expected each year.

The CyberTipline was first launched in 1998 by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  The CyberTipline provides the public and the technology industry with the ability to report online (and via toll-free telephone) instances of child sexual exploitation including child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sex tourism, and child sex trafficking. The initial statute was last updated in 2008.

The CyberTipline Modernization Act will continue the initial work of the NCMEC by adding updated provisions to ensure the protection and safety of reports citing suspected exploitation. This common sense bill makes clear the requirements NCMEC and providers must follow in order to ensure these crucial protections are not needlessly subjected to outdated government regulations.

Congressman Sensenbrenner: “The modernization of this bill would be a significant step forward in the fight to reduce the sexual exploitation of children online. It’s imperative we improve safety standards so we can be actively engaged in preventing the victimization of children and efficiently process and investigate all reports of child sexual abuse.”